Ill Fate
by Serenarey Chiba
Summary: Raven contracts a severe disease that has the potential to end up killing her. However unaware of the risks, Beast Boy signs the two up for the only cure that could possibly ever work. Except for the fact that it binds the two together... BBRae
1. Chapter 1

All right, well... I got into a Teen Titan faze, I'm afraid. I should be working on To Team Seven...But, oh well. At least it's finally written down. Who knows if I'll continue it, but it won't bother me anymore for now. I hope all of you do enjoy it, however.

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and associated characters are the property of DC Comics and AOL Time Warner. This story is being written for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being sought and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter One

A fierce roar rang out throughout Jump City, echoing off buildings and shattering glass. A large, green Tyrannosaurus Rex lifted its large head and screamed out again, its fury building with each breath. Its black eyes looked down at the road around it, and it shifted forward, slamming a foot down on several masses of goop, squashing them instantly. When the goop managed to encircle around the T-Rex's foot, encasing it, the large, green dinosaur let out another roar. Upon seeing that it could not free its foot, it began to shrink down into an eagle, and swerved around the goop up into the skies. The brown goop below, infuriated, let out a torrent of bubbles and immediately stretched itself up into sky, wrapping around the bird.

The bird, panicking, changed into a young, fifteen-year-old, green-skinned boy. The brown goop wrapped around him, and held him tight as it sent him zooming back down to the ground. The young boy struggled, his forest-green eyes showing fierce determination, and he looked behind him to see the earth rushing up to him.

"Ah!" he screamed, fidgeting more. "I'll die, I'll die! Let me go, you stupid whatever-the-hell-you-are!"

Black energy flew at the boy, encasing him and stopping his impending doom. The boy looked up to see a young, grey-skinned woman with a dark-blue cloak holding her hand out towards him from up in the sky, the dark energy reaching out to him like an extension of herself. Her violet eyes narrowed dangerously as she shouted,

"Azarath Metrion _Zinthos_!"

Black energy flew out from her other hand in spurts, each rivulet breaking off into shards of black energy that sliced through the goop like a knife through butter. The boy let out a sigh of relief as the black energy pulled him up towards the girl. She looked at him through calculating eyes, taking in his overall appearance.

"Are you all right?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," he replied happily. "Thanks Rae – you're the best!"

"It's Raven," the young sorceress responded, glaring at him. "Have a safe drop, Beast Boy."

"Huh?" Beast Boy asked, his eyes widening questioningly before the black energy around him vanished and he went plummeting towards the ground again. As he plunged, he shouted, "That's so not co-o-o-o-ol!" before he changed into a pterodactyl and caught an updraft.

Raven watched him fly off before she raced through the sky herself, black energy gathering in her hands. She let go of her powers just long enough to drop down about five hundred feet before she caught herself again. Another young woman raced up to her, her beautiful, long, fiery-red hair completely covered with brown goop. Raven stared at the other young woman, her violet eyes widening with surprise. The red-haired woman turned annoyed, emerald-green eyes towards Raven while reaching up to grab another glob of goop from her hair. Instantly evaporating it with her green energy, the young woman frowned deeply.

"Raven, I do not like this…goop. It is most difficult to defeat it, and I cannot physically attack it with inspiring results."

"I know what you mean, Starfire," the young sorceress responded. "My powers don't seem to have much of an effect against it either."

"Do you know what enemy may have caused this…goop, to be developed?"

Raven frowned slightly, and quickly sent forward a bolt of dark energy at the oncoming appendages of the goop, cutting it down quickly. "I'm not quite sure. Whatever we do, we should do it fast – I don't have much more energy to mindlessly waste."

"Then, I shall go ask Robin. Perhaps he and Cyborg have defeated their enemy on the other side of the city," Starfire said, tearing another glob of brown goop from her hair in annoyance.

She floated slightly away from Raven before energy flared around her as she raced down towards the street. Starfire, bringing her arms in as close to her body as possible to minimize air resistance, raced across the horizon approximately half a foot off the ground, her eyes glowing a bright green as a large glob of brown goop shifted into her way. Green energy swirled in her eyes before it launched out straight towards the goop and split open a path. The goop roared out in pain, and so surprised was she that Starfire didn't notice a tendril of goop coming straight at her from her front. The tendril slammed into her, whipping her back across the concrete. Her shoulder slammed into the ground, causing her to flip over and continue rolling across the ground until she stopped approximately two hundred feet away.

Starfire groaned deeply as she moved to lift herself off of the ground. Pain raced through her right arm and her eyes widened as she cried out in pain, before falling to the ground again. Her left hand clutched tightly at her right shoulder as she narrowed her eyes at the oncoming goop. Once again, her eyes glowed a bright green and energy launched out from them, aimed straight for the large mound of brown. The energy hit true again, and the goop roared out again. A tentacle ripped out of the monster's body, flying high into the air before the monster whipped it back down to the earth, aiming for Starfire's unmoving body.

Raven gasped in surprise as she saw the tentacle began to race down at Starfire and gathered dark energy within her hands. _Damn it_, she thought, forcing more and more energy into her hands. _I won't make it! She'll die!_

A green streak raced through the air, and the tentacle slammed down the large Tyrannosaurus Rex, hitting the dinosaur's back with a harsh impact. The sound reverberated through the air, and Beast Boy shrank back down to his normal size, yelling out in pain. The monster, angered by the interference, retreated its tentacle and slapped away Beast Boy into a building. The green boy slammed into and through a business building, his screams echoing outward towards Raven and Starfire.

Starfire's eyes widened imperceptibly, and in her rage, she ignored her pain and launched herself to her feet. Twitching from the pain as she raised both her arms slowly, she gritted her teeth and her whole body began to glow a vibrant green.

"You _dare_ to harm my friend!" she shouted out. "You will pay for that with your _life_!"

Raven watched as Starfire expelled all of her energy through her right arm at the large, brown monster, her fury causing the young woman's red-hair to float around her.

"Take _THIS_!" roared Starfire, as the energy flew at the monster, and encased it in green. Both she and Raven were surprised however, when the monster absorbed the energy and sent it racing back towards the Tamaranean. Starfire only had enough time to gasp before the energy slammed into her and sent her flying straight back across a bridge and into a couple buildings at least half a mile away.

Raven stared back at the spot where the energy had hit Starfire, before tracing it back to where her friend had flew into buildings some distance away. Without noticing, rage began to build within the young woman, and her eyes started glowing blood-red. Black energy flew from her fingertips and raced around Raven as she continued staring back at where Starfire had fallen, before she turned to look at the building where Beast Boy had fallen himself. Pain constricted in her chest as her incisors elongated and her teeth sharpened.

"You will pay," she muttered, her voice becoming gravelly and coarse. She lifted her red eyes and stared at the brown goop, her eyes now a swirling red.

"You, will, _PAY_!" Raven shouted, screaming out as black energy exploded around her and zoomed straight for the monster.

The young half-demon tightened her fists to constrict the black energy around the monster. The monster howled out in pain as the black energy began to cut into it, and cause it to slowly heat up rapidly and evaporate. As the monster shrank further and further, two other young individuals came running across the bridge, each panicking upon seeing Raven in such a rage. Just as the brown goop was evaporated to the size of a small calf, it spit out a white moisture that encased the half-demon, much to her fury. Ignoring the moisture, Raven clenched her fists even tighter and before long, the monster evaporated entirely with a poof of smoke.

One of the two boys on the ground gaped at the damage and the fact that Raven had taken care of the monster so quickly. He twirled his bo-staff a few times before compacting it and hiding it within his utility belt. The other young man beside him allowed his sonic cannon to transform back into his cyber-electronic arm before he nudged the other boy.

"Rob, what ticked her off?"

Robin narrowed his eyes behind his eye mask. He slammed one gloved fist into his other hand. "I don't know, Cyborg. But whatever caused her to get so angry is gone now. What I want to know is where Starfire and Beast Boy are. Why weren't they helping her take down that monster?"

Cyborg shifted his half-human, half-robot gaze around, frowning when he discovered he didn't see either one. He turned his eyes up to look at Raven, who was glaring back down at him with her cold, red eyes. The large, African-American Cyborg flinched back slightly, his one biological eye widening with a touch of fear. Robin glanced over at him before following his gaze, and shifting back slightly himself. Flicking his cape back as he reached for the back of his utility belt, he narrowed his eyes more at the floating half-demon.

Raven casted them an unwavering gaze, before her eyes slowly began to flicker from red to violet and back again. Less than a minute later, the red receded entirely, along with her sharpened teeth and elongated incisors. She gritted her teeth as pain raced through her, and began to gently float down to the ground. Both Robin and Cyborg ran up to her, and helped her touch ground more easily. She smiled slightly at the both of them in gratitude, before glaring down at the white liquid covering her whole body.

"Yuck," muttered Robin, flicking his hands back and forth quickly to rid himself of the goop. "What the hell is this stuff?"

Cyborg frowned as well, trying to rid himself of the goo as well. "It's gross, whatever it is. But, hey, Raven," he said pointing at her. "Why isn't it coming off you?"

"I don't know," she muttered, irritated as she continued trying to wipe it off. She narrowed her violet eyes slightly when she saw her skin began to absorb it, and stared at her hands in surprise when the white liquid completely vanished.

"Well," she began, frowning further. "That was odd."

Robin grasped both of the young woman's shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Where are Starfire and Beast Boy?"

She winced slightly, and turned her gaze to the ground. Robin frowned at her slightly, and shook her hard. "Where are they, Raven? What happened to them? Are they…?"

"I don't know, Robin," she murmured quietly, her husky voice fresh with guilt. "Beast Boy was rammed into the building over there," she said, pointing at a wrecked business building, before she pointed back across the bridge and far down the street, "and Starfire went flying that way. I didn't…I wasn't sure if they were alive or not. I just got so mad that I…"

Robin let go of her and turned to Cyborg. "Cyborg, help me find Starfire. And Raven," he continued, glancing back at her. "Think you could look for Beast Boy?"

The young sorceress nodded slightly, her expression one of determination. She watched Cyborg and Robin run away from her and across the bridge, and sighed softly, walking slowly over towards the building Beast Boy had disappeared in. Not having enough energy to fly with ease, she jumped from rock to rock until she was inside the destruction. Her violet eyes roamed around the interior.

"Beast Boy! Where are you? Beast Boy?"

A quick spark of fear ran through her and she forced it down. After allowing her demon side to come up to the surface, the last thing she needed was the last of her energy going askew. Taking in a deep breath, Raven hopped from rock to rock, going further and further into the area. Sighing softly, she lowered herself and crawled through a small crevice, looking around sharply.

"Beast Boy. Answer me!"

A small groan filtered through the area, and her eyes widened slightly. She scurried through the hole and jumped from rock to rock. "Talk to me, Beast Boy!"

"…Raven?"

Raven heard him mid-jump, and she immediately changed course upon landing on one rock. Jumping from the one she was on, to another across from her, and back in the opposite direction, Raven pushed herself to where she thought she last heard her teammate's voice. Flipping forward, Raven landed on a pile of rubble, and cried out softly when she felt herself start to slide backwards. She glanced up the pile lazily before looking away and freezing. Her eyes widened and her gaze snapped up to see a green arm, blood running heavily down it.

"Beast Boy!" she gasped, running up the hill and pulling off rock after rock. As soon as he was cleared from all the rocks, she wrapped her arms around his torso, and pulled him up slowly. His quick intake of breath made her pause, before closing her eyes. A bubble of black energy flickered around the two, and within seconds, they were floating up and out of a large hole in a side of building. She maneuvered them to the bridge where Robin and Cyborg were waiting with Starfire. Setting Beast Boy down gently, Raven let go of her energy bubble, breathing in and out harshly from the amount of energy that procedure had taken.

Robin frowned at her. "I hate to ask you, but do you think you have enough energy to get us out of here?"

"Barely," she murmured, fighting an oncoming headache. "But don't expect me to be jumping for joy when we get back."

"That's fine. Cyborg and I will handle the rest when we get back."

Raven nodded slightly before straightening up and extending her arms out. Beads of sweat drifted down her face as she struggled to pull more and more energy from within her until a small barrier just barely surrounded the entire team. Closing her eyes tightly, she visualized Titan Tower in her mind, and less than a minute later, the five-member team had vanished from the bridge.

Upon arriving in the living room, Raven dropped down to the ground gently, sweat dropping in rivulets down her face. She rose a trembling hand to wipe across her forehead as she peered through her shaky vision over at Starfire and then Beast Boy. Turning to gaze around her, she found that her vision was growing far too dark for her to tell where they were.

Robin popped his head into her limited vision, and placed his hand on her shoulder – she could hardly tell. She grasped onto the last wisps of strength remaining with her.

"D-did we…?"

"We're back in the Tower, Raven. We're safe. You did well, so rest. We'll…"

After the first sentence, the young half-demon began to fade out, and she barely felt Robin clutch her to him.

* * *

It was the soft beeping that rose her from unconsciousness. Raven slowly opened her eyes, taking in a deep breath as she glanced around her. Shadows permeated the area, and she felt herself slowly lower down towards the bed. The young sorceress ran her right hand slowly through her hair, frowning at the small presence of grease in it. She needed a shower, but first…

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and walked over to the other side of the medical bay, frowning when she only saw Beast Boy lying down. Starfire must have healed up quickly, or not been in as bad of shape as Raven had first assumed. However, Beast Boy was practically a normal human being with just an added ability to change into animals at will. Walking over to him, Raven took careful note of his overall condition, and found that he was healing quite nicely. She looked at her hands, frowning when she discovered she hadn't gained back even half of her energy yet. Despite that, it was still more than enough to finish healing up her teammate.

_Wait_, she thought, stopping as her hands hovered a few inches over his skin. _Why am I doing this? Wait, does it even matter why? He's still hurt, and I have the means to heal him. Stupid much, Raven?_

With that in mind, blue energy surrounded her hands and she shifted them around Beast Boy's upper torso, and along his rib cage. Once finished, Raven let her arms drop to her sides and she shifted closer towards Beast Boy's head, lowering her head to see if he was breathing well. When she didn't hear any air coming out of his mouth, she frowned and leaned in a bit closer. Raven never noticed Beast Boy's mouth widen into a grin before he said,

"Boo!"

Shock raced through Raven's system, surprising her as she flew back away from Beast Boy and fell into the separation curtains. Black energy raced from her fingers and bounced across the florescent lighting in the room, immediately shattering each one. The glass on the doors shattered with a large crash, and medical supplies within several of the drawers suddenly came flying out in every which direction. Beast Boy shrieked when a scalpel came flying at his head, and he jumped off the bed to avoid it.

As soon as her surprise wore off, Raven stood up, her face full of fury.

"Beast Boy! What were you thinking! Were you even thinking?"

"Not like I knew you were going to freak like that!" he shouted back, cowering under his bed.

Raven clenched her fists in anger until she heard the metal door to the medical bay come unhinged and fold in half. Staring first at the door in surprise, she immediately began rubbing her temples and murmuring, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

She felt herself calm down slowly, but surely, and just as she was about to yell at her teammate again, Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg came bursting into the room. Robin looked at the damage, then at Raven, and seeing her disheveled appearance, glared down at Beast Boy. The green changeling winced when he saw Robin's expression, and he glared over at Raven.

"Way to go, _RaeRae_."

"Don't call me that, you idiot."

Beast Boy got out from underneath his bed, and stuck his tongue out at Raven, who glowered at him in return. As soon as they were all out into the hall, Robin took in the conditions of both of his remaining members, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"As much as I wish I could give you two leave, we can't really afford that right now. Sorry. All I can suggest is that the two of you go ahead and get some rest. However," he continued, turning to Raven, "if you feel that you can't head out to battle due to low energy, tell us. I don't want you trying to fight if you really can't."

Beast Boy gaped at the young leader. "Uh, hello-o-o-o? I'm low on energy too, you know! Why's she get to get out of battle while I'm sitting here like some old gum on the bottom of your shoes?"

"Because unlike you, Beast Boy," Robin stated condescendingly, "she went all out on the enemy. What did you do? Weren't you sleeping underneath some rubble?"

Before the young changeling could protest, Starfire slid in between him and Robin, gesturing wildly. "Boyfriend Robin, it is not Beast Boy's fault! It was actually because of I that Friend Beast Boy hurt. Please do not place blame on him."

Robin's eyes widened slightly, and he frowned again. "What are you talking about Starfire? You were in the completely opposite direction of him."

"Actually," Raven interjected calmly, violet eyes concentrated on the Teen Titan leader, "Beast Boy jumped into the path of one of the tentacles of that…thing. He was hit twice, the second of which slamming him into that building."

Beast Boy squirmed around Starfire and jumped into Robin's face. "Yeah! And do you know how much that _hurt_? A _lot_! You ever go flying into a completely whole building all the way to the center, and _then_ have a bunch of _floors_ fall on you? Yeah, I bet you haven't! Well, let me tell you: it _hurts_!"

Robin, annoyed, shoved Beast Boy's face away, and crossed his arms once again. Taking in a deep breath, he said,

"Despite all of that, the fact is that you still have energy, whereas Raven is running pretty empty. Until she's ready-up again, we can't take her into battle. One man down, or girl, is enough, and we can't afford more. Sorry Beast Boy."

Beast Boy snorted, glaring over at Raven, who glared back. Then he shrugged past Robin and kept on walking down the corridor. Robin shook his head slightly and turned back to look at Raven. "Sorry Raven. Tell us when you're ready to go again, yeah?"

Then he, too, turned to walk down the hall to his room. Raven watched him walk away, and sighed, staring down at her hands. She hoped her powers came back soon.

* * *

Though her powers, as per normal, came back within a week, it wasn't until the end of the next week that Raven came out of her room in a daze. Aside from feeling nauseated, feverish, and unable to walk a few steps without becoming dizzy, she couldn't breathe in through her nose and her powers were…

She breathed in deeply before allowing herself to drift down through the floor several levels until she hit the common room. Walking in through the main doors, a flurry of emotions slammed into her, causing her already present headache to begin pounding more. She glared across the room at the two boys scrambling around.

"_Where is it_!" Cyborg yelled out.

He wore a panicked expression as he continued throwing pillows off the couch and across the room. Beast Boy came whizzing around the living area, changing into different animals to look at different places. Turning into a puppy, he checked under the couch, and was disappointed to find that the remote was not there. Cyborg threw his hands up to his head in aggravation, before taking a pillow and throwing it elsewhere. "It's got to be here! BB, keep looking!"

Starfire and Robin, who had been talking avidly about another galaxy she had visited, stopped their conversation to witness the other two teenagers search desperately for a remote control. Starfire turned concerned, emerald-green eyes towards Robin in question. He blinked back at her, confusion marring his face. She gestured towards the television, and then looked back at him, and he raised up his hands in surrender.

"Whoa, hey!" he said slowly. "What do you expect me to do? This happens every week!"

Starfire just stared at him, and a few beads of sweat ran down Robin's face. "Ah…hold that thought…"

Robin backed away from Starfire and sighed as he turned around, his eyes slit in annoyance. Every week, someone would place the controller in an obvious spot, and every week, Cyborg and Beast Boy would go screaming through the tower in efforts to find it.

"This is getting old," Robin muttered.

Walking around the couch, Robin picked up the remote off of the coffee table, and held it up in front of Cyborg. Cyborg and Beast Boy blinked at it, before grinning sheepishly. Cyborg took it from Robin's hand, and grinned wide, showing all of his pearly-white teeth. Beast Boy just chuckled hesitantly. "Heh, heh… Thanks Robin…been looking for that."

Robin frowned and was about to tell them off for breaking up his conversation with Starfire before the two pushed him out of the way in efforts to watch one of their favorite television shows. Robin went flying behind the couch, landing on the red carpet with a loud thump. Starfire walked up to help him, and he sighed. Looking back at the two couch potatoes, Robin felt another twitch of annoyance, but he shrugged it off. Grabbing Starfire's hand, Robin marched away from the living room, eager for some alone time with her. Starfire, her eyes wide in question, tried to keep up with Robin's long strides. As soon as Robin had climbed the steps to get to the main door, he noticed Raven and her level gaze on him.

"Oh, hey there, Raven. We…haven't seen you for a while."

Lifting a hand to her forehead, she muttered, "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"Well, it's fine. But, you don't look that hot. You okay?"

"Uh, about that…"

Beast Boy launched himself at Raven. "Yo, 'sup Raven? You've been in your room for the last week! What you been doing that's so important that you can't talk to us?"

Raven stared at him out of the side of her eyes. "You don't want to know."

Confusion crept across Beast Boy's features, and he blinked slowly. "Wha…huh?"

Raven walked out of the crowd, feeling very weak as she sat down at the kitchen counter. Cyborg finally joined the party, and Raven looked down at the carpet, unable to meet anyone's eyes. Her normally pale face was even more so, and her eyes were quite red, as if she hadn't been able to sleep, or had been crying. Her small nose was pink from a large amount of sneezing, leaving her looking vulnerable, and young. Starfire put a hand on her shoulder, and Raven looked up in surprise, before looking away again. "Ah… The reason I haven't been out of my room all week is because I've come across a problem…"

All of a sudden, before Raven could finish her sentence, an alarm sounded, and the tower began flashing red, warning the Titans of trouble. Robin clenched a green-gloved fist, and glanced apologetically at Raven. Beast Boy frowned at Raven, who seemed unusually sad, and, more or less, very sick. Starfire tightened her grip on Raven's shoulder gently, before letting go, showing her compassion. "Come. We must go and fight the enemy, Raven."

Cyborg lifted up Raven in his arms and grinned. "Cyborg to the rescue!"

Raven gasped as she was lifted up, and Robin gave Cyborg a thumbs-up. "All right!" he announced, looking at everyone. "Titans, go!"

* * *

Across the city, various renegade robots were stomping about, causing mayhem throughout Gotham City. Two renegades picked up a car and began to feed on it, valuing its high steel composition. One robot rubbed its middle, its visual screen showing its pleasure at what it 'ate.' A larger robot, the largest of them all, stomped through the city, its size bordering two hundred feet. It took a large semi and started to eat it as well, and the little robots cheered as it looked happy and satisfied.

Robin rode in on his motorcycle, and stopped to look at the size of the robot. Beast Boy came in behind him as a raven, nestling down on Robin's helmet. Behind them, Starfire carried Cyborg who carried Raven. As soon as they touched ground, Raven jumped out of Cyborg's arms, stumbling a bit before falling down completely. Starfire again rushed to help up her best friend, and Raven stared at the ground. "I feel like a child."

Starfire ignored her and proceeded to keep helping her stand. Robin frowned back at the two, before glaring up at the giant robot. Rubbing his chin slightly, Robin turned towards Raven and Starfire. "I need you two airborne. Concentrate your power on hitting those small robots – make sure to keep from causing too much damage if you can. We don't want a repeat of last time. Cyborg, Beast Boy? Concentrate all your power on the larger robot. As for me, I'll act as a decoy from my bike, and draw the giant one's attention. You guys got it? All right – Titans, _go_!"

Robin pulled back on his handles, revving the engine for a few moments before unleashing the built up power and sending him soaring towards the giant robot. Flicking his cape back, Robin grabbed his grappling hook and shot it one of the monster's legs. His bike's wheels screeching from an edgy turn, he shifted to the right and raced around the other leg before coming back to the first. He ducked under the wire of his grappling hook, and ran a circle eight around the robot's legs, before zooming away, his grip on his grappling hook tight.

"Beast Boy, do it!" he shouted at the oncoming dinosaur that was racing at the large robot.

Beast Boy slammed into the robot, knocking it forward as Cyborg lifted his sonic cannon. Blue energy swirled around Cyborg's arm before propelling itself forward and knocking off the head of the large robot. Robin gritted his teeth as the wire from his grappling hook pulled him off his bike and flying back towards where the robot was falling. He yelled out in surprise as the wire flicked him across the ground and rolling into a parked car. Groaning, Robin struggled to move before realizing his arm was more than likely broken. A shadow slowly casted its way over him, much to his disbelief.

Beast Boy turned back into his normal form, falling to the earth as he shouted,

"Raven! Starfire! Get Robin!"

Both young women looked over to see Robin struggling to move from under the parked car and away from the oncoming robot. Starfire gasped, abandoning her attempt to rid the city of the smaller robots, and she sped forward through the sky. Raven turned her concentration onto the large robot, and with her three-word chant, threw her energy forward to surround it. She grunted when caught it, and began to pull it back when she felt a feverish heat run through her. Ignoring it, Raven was surprised to see her black energy flicker before fading completely. Surprised, her violet orbs widened as she looked back at her hands.

"Huh…?"

"Raven!" a scream came, snapping her out of her surprised state. "Raven, they're going to die! What are you doing!"

Turning quickly to look back at the scene, she saw the robot nearly on them, and desperation ran through her. As soon as she reached for her powers, she felt that same fire run through her veins and she cried out. Shaking her head, Raven reached deep within her and pulled her powers to the surface.

"Azarath Metrion _ZINTHOS_!"

The black energy wrapped around the giant robot just before it touched Robin and Starfire, before Raven tightened her grip and sent it flying in the opposite direction, crushing several of the smaller robots. Breathing in and out hard, she felt herself lose grip on reality and she began to fall down towards the ground. She barely noticed a green pterodactyl catch her and take her back down to earth gently.

* * *

It was with apprehension when Raven opened her eyes to see the medical bay, again. It seemed that it was practically her second room as of late. She lifted a hand to run it through her hair before quickly stopping, only then noticing all the wires attached to her arm. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, she slowly glanced around her, seeing various computer screens and medical equipment. Shifting slightly, Raven glanced away from the computers towards the blinded window, registering the time as moonlight filtered in. How long had she been out? She looked at her hands, narrowing her eyes when black energy flickered over her hands before quickly dying.

"I'm still sick," she muttered. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

Pressure built in her chest and she groaned before exploding into large coughing fits, not receding until she felt someone raise her up and pat her back. Taking deep breaths, Raven gritted her teeth. A green face appeared right in front of her, and she flinched back quickly. Beast Boy's worried eyes peered into her hers, annoying her slightly. "Beast Boy? What the hell? Get away from me."

Beast Boy frowned and slid out of her lap. "You seem okay," he started, "but you're still really shaky. What's up with you anyway?"

"It doesn't matter. Where's everyone else?"

"Oh, the rest are all asleep. It's three in the morning, you know. Even though they're all worried about you, they weren't going to stay up this late."

"Three?"

Raven rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands, beginning to once again feel exhausted. "Okay, all right. So, they're all okay? No one's hurt from before?"

"Well, my head's a little bruised–"

"Whatever, Beast Boy. I don't have time for this."

She began to pull off wires and tape from her skin and quickly pulled out her IV, wincing all the way. Beast Boy grabbed her arm, eyes wide. "Hey, what are you doing! They're what's keeping you stable!"

The young sorceress batted his hand away and glared at him. "Damn it, I'm fine. Just leave me be, Beast Boy."

"Hey!" Beast Boy shouted. "You're the one who fell unconscious! We're just making sure you don't do it again. Starfire was ready to go back to Tamaran to get some special medication. It took all of us to keep her here."

"Special medication? What?" She quickly pulled the covers off herself and got out of the medical bed. "That would have taken months on her own. Maybe weeks if she was determined."

Beast Boy watched as Raven continued to rid herself of more wires, and unattached an arm band around her right upper arm. He sidestepped out of her way and continued to stare when she picked up her own clothing. Her violet eyes trained on him and he tilted his head. "Turn," she ordered.

He sighed and turned around, arms folded across his chest. "We weren't sure if you were dead or not. All we knew was that the little green line on that machine wasn't straight, so your heart was still beating."

"How ingenious of you all."

She pulled off her hood and headed for the door, stopping only when Beast Boy got in her way. "Get out of my way," she said, pushing him aside gently. Beast Boy grabbed her arm again, frowning. "Raven, you don't get it. You're out for weeks, and are suddenly trying to walk around like you own the place? You know how much everyone else would kill me if I just let you go wherever you wanted?"

She stopped pulling back at her arm and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Weeks? How many…weeks?"

Beast Boy ran a hand through his hair. "Five? You never moved, at all. We had to set up a machine with a needle put in you to feed you. You don't know how disgusting it is. I mean, the stuff that Starfire made was just revolting –"

"Wait," interrupted Raven. "You let her give me Tamaranean food? And five weeks? What happened all the time I was asleep? Is the city okay?"

"The city is fine, Raven, ever since we beat Trigon. But if Star catches you out of bed, well, you know her."

"Yes, I know her, but I can't waste time waiting for them to wake up. I need to do some research right now."

Again, Raven swept by Beast Boy, him frowning the entire time. He followed her, looking around in indecisiveness. She went down the hall and up the stairs while Beast Boy followed her every step of the way. Their footsteps made no sound on the lush red carpet as they went up to the next landing. Beast Boy followed her to her room but stopped short. "Raven, what do you mean, 'research'? What are you researching?"

"I'm not quite sure," she said as she walked into her room. Looking behind her at the green teenager, she raised her eyebrow when he proceeded to keep standing outside the door. Blinking, Beast Boy smiled and walked into her room, staring around in marvel. Ignoring him, Raven went up to her large bookcase, hand raised to her chin as she glanced at each book. Beast Boy flopped down on her bed, enjoying the size of it. He sat up to watch her continue to look down the book shelves, staring at each book individually. "So," he began, "you don't know what you're looking for?"

"No."

He let out a sound of protest when a book hit his stomach and threw him back against the bed. Looking at the three-inch thick book, Beast Boy looked back at Raven who came to sit on the bed beside him, a few books in her arms. "That's why you're going to help me," she said, looking at him with a level gaze.

Beast Boy stared back at her and then looked at the giant book, opening it to gaze at an abstract title. "What is this? 'Azarath Metrius Sarcala?' And what am I helping you look for, basically, anyway?"

"You know how I say, 'Azarath Metrion Zinthos?' 'Azarath Metrius Sarcala' is a brother incantation to it," Raven explained patiently. "That book will deal with everything that may, or may not, obstruct my powers."

"Obstruct?" Beast Boy questioned. "What, you mean like, block? Or stop?"

"Something like that, yes."

She flipped a page in a book called, _Reverse Procedures of Harmful Maladies_. Beast Boy grabbed her book away from her and stared at the cover. "Maladies? You're sick?"

She nodded slightly, holding up a finger as she turned to sneeze. Beast Boy waited while she sneezed a few more times before asking, "Well, what happens when you're sick?"

Raven coughed, saying, "Nothing aside of losing my powers just yet. That's why I wasn't able to help Robin that night. And it seems that if I force myself to use my powers, I force myself out of commission. Ugh, have you found anything in that book yet?"

"What?" he asked, caught unaware. "No, no. Not yet."

"Well, help me look a bit more. If we can't find anything, I may have to try something a bit more drastic."

"Drastic?"

"Just keep looking, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy grimaced as he moved back to the book, and began to read through it. Hours passed as the two read through the books with Raven eventually finishing all of hers and moving to help Beast Boy go through the larger one. Sunlight began to peek through her dark blinds over her windows, and Raven slammed a fist on her bed, pushing herself up quickly. "Damn it all, this isn't getting us anywhere!"

Beast Boy laid his head back on her pillows, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah. The others should be waking up soon to check on you."

Raven nodded slightly, frowning as she thought quickly. Something occurred to her and she looked back at Beast Boy. "Hey, why weren't _you_ asleep, Beast Boy? I would think you would want sleep more than anyone else."

"I, ah, couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd check on you."

"Couldn't sleep?"

The two jumped when a shout sounded on the landing below them. Beast Boy's eyes widened in fear. "Dude, if they find out that I let you leave the medical room, I'm going to die. I'm too young to die!"

"Cut the melodrama, Beast Boy. I have a plan."

"Melodrama? It's my butt they're after!"

"Shut up, or they'll hear you," said Raven as she walked over to her desk to grab a mirror. Looking into it, she took in a deep breath. Beast Boy came up behind her, peering over her shoulder. "Whoa, it's that crazy mirror. Are you going into it again?"

"That's the plan."

"You're going to leave me here by myself? That's cruel!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Raven, her voice having an edge of annoyance. "You're coming with me."

"Are you crazy! We nearly died before when we went into your mind! I'm not going!"

"Ugh, it's either this, or you can wait for Robin and them to get to you."

"Tough choice…"

Outside of Raven's room, they heard Robin's voice yelling for Beast Boy, and the changeling teenager grabbed the mirror, grinning. "So, when do we leave?"

"Now," said Raven, grabbing Beast Boy's hand and muttering, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

Beast Boy cried out when he felt himself pulled into the mirror, before he ended up flying across a flowery ground. He sniffed a few times before sneezing. After sneezing a few more times, Beast Boy sighed and pushed himself up to his feet. Raven raised an eyebrow at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Are you finished?" she asked patiently, her voice slightly more gravelly than normal.

He nodded and she gestured for him to follow her. The young, green boy ran up to Raven and dutifully followed her as they went through a portal after portal. Eventually, they came across a cavernous room with rows and rows of bookcases, much to Beast Boy's chagrin. He looked at all of the books, and sighed, hanging his head. Just how many books did she expect him to read anyway?

"Don't worry," she whispered reassuringly. "We aren't here to read. I'm here to see someone."

Beast Boy let out a sigh of relief as Raven moved forward, and he quickly moved to catch up with her. He raced ahead of her into the center of the room and ran straight into another person. Shifting back quickly, he was about to apologize when he saw what looked like another Raven with glasses on her face. Beast Boy pointed at the second Raven in disbelief.

"Ah!" he cried. "You look like Raven! But that's Raven!" he continued, pointing back at the blue cloaked Raven he had come with. "No way! What is this?"

Raven hit him hard on the back of his head and he glared at her. "Do you remember what I told you last time?" she growled. "It's a mirror into my _mind_!"

"Oh," Beast Boy whispered, drawing out the word in amazement. "Oh yeah. So, they're all you. So, who's this one?"

Raven rubbed her temples before looking at the bookish-looking Raven. "Knowledge," she stated evenly, hands on her hips. "I am in need of your help."

Knowledge adjusted her glasses slightly, and nodded. "I know precisely why you have come, Raven…but I'm afraid there is nothing that can be done."

Beast Boy and Raven's eyes widened, and the two looked at each other before looking back at Knowledge. Raven frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"May I assume you came here to discuss the mysterious illness that you have contracted, and wish for a way to purge your body of it?"

Upon seeing Raven's slow nod, Knowledge continued: "I will tell you what the illness is, and then you will see why there is nothing you can possibly do about it. The illness is actually of a demon affiliation. No others species _but_ a demon can contract this, and once they do, it is nigh impossible to survive it. Although your human side would normally allow you to bypass whatever diseases can harm demons, you were out of luck this time around. It's a severe disease, what that Bigsleserk gave you. It's passing slowly, but within a month, it will break down all of your molecular cells, absorb your power, and leave you dry. You will lose your demon powers, and be susceptible to whatever other diseases may be out there. Were you completely demon, Raven, you would simply fade away, for a demon without its power is no demon at all, and therefore, cannot exist."

Raven felt pain constrict in her chest and she looked down, breathing in and out heavily. Beast Boy gaped at Knowledge, unable to believe what he had just heard. He didn't understand all of what was going on, but he definitely got the basics of nothing being able to be done and that Raven would indeed die without a fight. That wasn't fair! She had survived three lives, her crazy father, and everything else imaginable, and now she was going to die because she was _sick_? No way!

"No way!" Beast Boy shouted, surprising both Knowledge and Raven. "She can't die! There's got to be something!"

Knowledge stared over at him for a few moments after his outburst before smiling slightly. "Well, there is one way…"

Dread crept its way into Raven's stomach, causing her to become very cold. "What is this way you are thinking of?"

"It is a bit impractical, I will admit. However, it is the only chance you have of surviving, Raven, so it just depends on whether you're willing to try it or not."

Raven's eyes narrowed as she thought about Knowledge's words. Frowning, she thought deeply on whether it would be a good idea to try it out or not – there must have been some reason no other demon had ever tried this method, but she couldn't take the chance of not doing it, even if the results weren't favorable. However, because it was a demon method, would it cause her demon side to take prevalence? What would happen to the Titans if she suddenly, and sporadically, went out of control and started killing everyone? They were her friends – she couldn't just try something without making sure they were okay with it as well. But, did she have much a choice? What could she–?

"We'll do that way! We'll do it! Tell us how!"

Raven gaped at the green goblin, as she would have preferred to call him, unable to believe that he had just signed her up for something without anyone else's permission. She turned her attention to the chuckling Knowledge, who pushed her glasses back up her nose.

"So, you will be her partner in this? She needs a partner."

"I'll do it! Anything to save Raven."

Knowledge hid a grin behind her hand and turned to Raven. "Raven, could you tell me the incantation of the last known incarnation of Philis Vans in the original order of the Azarath monks?"

The young Halfling blinked slowly, before she paused to think.

"Um…Azarath Menshole Psyricalurus?"

"Well done," Knowledge said, perhaps a bit too happily. "And you, Beast Boy, can you repeat that line? Azarath Men-shole Psy-ri-ca-lu-rus."

"Azarath Menshole Psyricalurus."

"Well done, well done! And thus, the incantation has been completed, and the Blood Oath has been enacted. Well done to the both of you. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Knowledge began to scurry away before the dark voice of Raven froze her in her tracks:

"Blood…Oath?"

"Yes, well," said Knowledge, sweating slightly. "The reason no demon has ever considered this method is due to the fact it both requires a partner…and is not solely dependent on the demon itself. Oh, and if your partner dies, so do you."

Raven's blood drained from her face and Beast Boy looked at her. "Hey, what's she mean?"

The half-demon's violet eyes glared at him. "It means you signed us up for _something that we knew nothing about without my permission at all_!"

She turned back to Knowledge, gritting her teeth. "Okay. So, what is involved in this pact."

"I'm not quite sure."

"How do we go about making sure I survive?"

"I don't really know that either."

"How long does this last?"

"I'm not quite sure–"

"_Is there anything you DO know_?"

"Well no, Raven," Knowledge said with a smile. "Unfortunately, this is the part at which you stopped reading when you were younger. So, unfortunately, I don't have a clue."

Raven felt her world shift slightly. Oh Azar, she hated Beast Boy.

* * *

Completed: 3/19/2009 4:01:22 AM


	2. Chapter 2

It's been a good while since I've updated this story. Sorry about that. Hope some people are still interested in reading it though. Cheers.

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans and associated characters are the property of DC Comics and AOL Time Warner. This story is being written for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being sought and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter Two

"Well, don't just kill him!"

"He's the reason I'm in this predicament in the first place! I believe I have every right to his death!"

Beast Boy kicked his legs back and forth quickly as he found himself having more and more difficulty breathing. Raven's dark energy spiraled around his neck in a noose-like fashion as it held him high up into the air. Knowledge raced forward and grabbed Raven by the shoulders, causing the latter to lose her concentration. With nothing holding him up, the young, green man fell from the air, crying out as he hit the ground and bounced backwards.

His head pounding painfully, Beast Boy grimaced as he looked up at the two Ravens, unsure of what to make of everything. Pushing himself up to his feet, Beast Boy absently turned to his right, hearing someone else walking up. When he saw another Raven, and this one with a brown cloak, he stared at her for a few seconds before turning away. She lowered her hood and raised an eyebrow at him slightly, and he turned back to her.

"Okay," he began slowly, scratching the back of his head. "Which one are you?"

"I am Wisdom," she replied with a small smile before turning her attention to the other two Ravens. "And I would believe it _wise_ to not try to kill yourself from the inside, Raven. It would undoubtedly make it quite a challenge to live a normal life with your knowledge being irrevocably absent, you see."

Raven, annoyed at having her own emotion correct her actions, frowned but let go of Knowledge's cloak. Beast Boy breathed out a sigh of relief while Wisdom nodded slightly. Turning towards Knowledge, she crossed her arms over her chest, frowning. "And I believe it would be prudent if you would cease your lies, and instead tell Raven and Beast Boy what they are truly in store for."

Raven turned to glare at Knowledge. "You were lying to us?"

"Not exactly," Knowledge said slowly, holding up her hands. "I can't really lie to you, per say, because I am a part of you. I do not lie. I didn't say I didn't know anything about it, I just said that I'm not quite sure of the details. All I know is that this pact involves both the mind and body, but is completely separate from the soul. This is not a full combination of you and whom you're contracted with, which in this case would be Beast Boy. You will share mental capacities as well as physical attributes, to a certain extent."

"Share?" echoed both Beast Boy and Raven. The latter looked at the former before frowning slightly. "What do you mean by 'share'? Our minds will be melded? Is he going to turn grey, or Azar forbid, me turn green? Will we begin sharing powers?"

"Not exactly," repeated Knowledge, holding up a hand for them to let her finish speaking. "As far as mental aspects go, you will each have your own minds as usual. However, you will now no longer have a barrier separating your thoughts, emotions, and awareness. While you can create a mental barrier closing off the other from your thoughts and emotions, it will be temporary, and will fall if you lose concentration with it. So, if you want to stay as private as it seems you are yearning to be, Raven, I would advise you to figure out a way to put up such a partition. Unless, of course, you would like to share your thoughts with Beast Boy. And if you would rather not hear Beast Boy's thoughts, may I suggest you counsel him in doing the same?"

Beast Boy's eyes were wide as he listened to the explanation – not that he really understood everything. He realized that what he thought would probably be heard by Raven, but…

"Wait!" he called out, calling out Knowledge, Wisdom, and Raven's attention. "You mean we're going to be telephoneticy or whatever? I can, like, think something, and Raven will totally hear it? And I can hear her thoughts, too? Dude, that's kind of cool."

Wisdom smiled at Beast Boy again, nodding. "It's 'telepathic,' and yes. The results seem equivalent to that of a telepathic link."

Raven silently looked over at Beast Boy before rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "Great. Last thing I need is to hear a 24/7 radio broadcast about Beast Boy's fantasies concerning mindless, irksome things. Sounds utterly appealing."

"Oh yeah?" Beast Boy countered, pointing at Raven. "Well, at least they're tons better than the stuff you probably think about!"

"And how would you possibly know what I think about?"

"Well, you…and you…and that…"

He crossed his arms over his chest and turned away from her, pouting. She sighed softly, muttering, "Grow up, Beast Boy."

"No, you!" he shouted back, growing irritated with her attitude. "Dude, okay! So you're mad that I volunteered us for something that has a lot of setbacks! That's cool, whatever. I get your point. But, geez, Raven! Give me a break, would you? I'm doing this for you! Didn't you hear your other self earlier? You'll die unless you do this, and it's not like you have eons! Just like a _month_! And then you'll be like some regular, old human that will get sick and die like, in a day."

She leveled him with a solid gaze, and was about to say something when he continued loudly:

"Besides, Rae, you have a ton of enemies out there! Robin, no matter how much he hates it, will have to ask you to leave 'cause you won't be helping us out, and you'll have to find someplace to live where enemies don't know you. But that's like impossible with all the computers and gadgets and whatevers out there, so they'll find you easily. They'll kill you! We won't be able to keep an eye on you and everything and we don't want that. You're our friend! Sure, you're creepy, and weird, and nerdy, and scary, but you're also really, really cool, and sweet sometimes. Starfire loves you, and Rob, Cy and I totally dig you as a friend. If you die…we'd feel really guilty. We don't want that…"

He took in a deep breath after his long monologue before rubbing the back of his head again. Raven stared at him with wide eyes, feeling something within her shift slightly, and she turned her face away. She could feel her face starting to heat up from embarrassment, and she clenched her fists to keep her emotions in control. Beast Boy noted her actions and looked down the ground, an expression of sadness filtering across his face. Knowledge and Wisdom looked at each other silently before glancing back over at Beast Boy when he shifted slightly.

"Okay, so," he started hesitatingly, "maybe I'm not someone whose opinion you'll really care about, but…dude, Raven. It won't be the same without you. I mean, yeah, sure, you throw me out the window, or hit me, or yell at me, or make me feel like the dumbest person on Earth…"

Raven felt another twinge of pain within her chest and she turned to look at Beast Boy with saddened eyes, feeling guilt run through her. "Beast Boy, I…"

"But, dude…you're like my best friend. I mean, yeah, you do all that crap to me, but that's okay. 'Cause I know when it really counts, you've got my back. If I ever need to really depend on someone helping me out, I can always count on you healing me, or creating that energy barrier thing in front of me, or keeping the enemy away from me when I'm hurt. Even when you make fun of me, or whatever, you end up apologizing for it in some way. Like when you bought me a new game after finding out that you had tossed out my tofu stir-fry, or when you realized that one of your attacks had completely shredded my outfit and bought me a new one…

"They're just little things, but they mean a lot. We know you care about us, but it's not fair to hole yourself up in your room and act like we don't care about you. It's cruel. You don't want us to die, I don't think, and the same with us! It's not fair, Raven! You, can't, die!"

He walked forward and stood directly in front of her, and she realized just how much he had grown in the four years she had known him. Beast Boy was starting to grow taller, and carry a bit more muscle mass than before – he didn't look like the same string bean she had known him as at their first meeting. Raven lowered her head slightly, but was completely surprised when Beast Boy pushed back her hood.

"You, can't, die!" he repeated vehemently. "We have to do this! So c'mon and agree already!"

Despite her best efforts, Raven felt herself begin to grow emotional, and her violet eyes glittered with unshed tears. Her fists clenched even tighter as she glared down at the ground. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to gain control – words shouldn't have fazed her like this, but…she found herself feeling appreciated and loved. They were odd feelings for her; she was a demon – well, half anyway – and to be so easily accepted as she was… Raven was nothing short of speechless, and found herself lacking the ability to make any sounds anyway. She swallowed, only opening her eyes once she felt them dry up again, and then looked at Beast Boy.

"Fine," she muttered hoarsely. "I'll…completely forge the contract with you and abide by it. But only because you bugged the hell out of me to do so."

"You serious?" asked Beast Boy, hope shining in his forest-green orbs. "Sweet! Hey, Knowledge Raven chick! Did you hear what Raven said? Isn't this so awesome? She'll do it!"

Knowledge and Wisdom shared a small smile and the former turned to Raven. "Now," she murmured softly, "are you certain?"

Raven looked over at Beast Boy, who nodded eagerly, before looking back at Knowledge, eyes narrowed in determination. "Yes, positive."

"Then I will continue describing what little I know of the stipulations concerning the oath, or contract if you will. As I said, you will share thoughts, emotions, and awareness, which can help you more than you might think. However, as we have already discussed, you can temporarily block each other's thoughts when it becomes too tedious to hear everything. However, your awareness is not something you can turn off, or shut down. You may actually enjoy its benefits, as when your adrenaline levels reach a certain point, you will be able to detect it, both mentally, and physically. If someone's heart pace rises to reach a certain point, and your adrenaline begins soaring as well, both of you will glow as an indication. Mentally, you will feel something drawing you to one another. If you are far away from each other, a mental beacon will be sent out."

"That could be handy," said Raven, looking over at Beast Boy. "It would definitely help if we have to split up to handle different enemies. That way, I'll know if you're in trouble, and we can come assist you and whomever you're with."

Beast Boy grinned brightly until Knowledge coughed slightly. Both teenagers turned to look at her, and noticed her grimacing slightly. She straightened her posture a bit before backing up a few steps from them. When both stared at her completely confused, she coughed once more, and mustered a shaky smile.

"Yes, about the splitting up part…you see, there are a few physical stipulations as well. Well, yes, ah, firstly, you will share pain. Neither of you may cause pain to the other without feeling it yourself, doubly. If someone else causes one of you pain, the other will feel it."

The young Halfling looked at Knowledge, slightly annoyed. "I get the feeling that there's something you're not telling us."

Knowledge stared at Raven before chuckling slightly, and shifting back a few more feet.

"There's…a slight problem."

"…What?"

"You see, there's a proximity limit…of about ten feet in this pact. Unless you're in a state of high adrenaline, you must stay within your boundaries or you will feel searing pain. The book you read made it seem quite unpleasant. Also, if one of you loses your adrenaline rush prematurely, the other has approximately thirty seconds to reach the parameter limits of the partner before you begin experiencing great pain."

Raven stared at Knowledge for a full half-minute before her eyes flashed red and dark power flowed around her. "What! You're telling me I have to stay within ten feet of Beast Boy at all times or else I start writhing in pain? Is that what you're saying?"

"Um…yes?" answered Knowledge meekly. "Don't become angry with me! I'm not the one who made the spell! And there's no way to reverse it, or amend the stipulations. No one in history has ever even attempted it, so I don't really know every single detail! I'm not certain if there is anything else involved – you stopped reading it before we hit the seventh chapter…"

"Well, _why_ did I stop reading?"

"Apparently, because you found it irrelevant to your cause and felt you would rather take death than try to find someone to contract yourself with?"

Beast Boy watched Raven seethe inwardly and took a few sidesteps away from her. The sorceress tightened her fists again and glared at Knowledge. "Well, _fine_! Where's the stupid book? I'll just read through the entire thing this time!"

"Well, not a possibility seeing as it was destroyed along with Azarath when Trigon found the location of your mother…"

"Oh, you _must_ be joking…"

As Raven rolled her eyes upward and began counting backwards from five thousand to calm herself down, Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, so, we're all good?"

Knowledge shook her head. "There's one more thing. The incantation you have already said was just for the mental aspect of the spell. There is another part: the physical aspect. Once you leave here, you will both need to say, 'Azarath Menshole Mecidaclu'. Until you do this, the spell will not be entirely complete. However," she continued, seeing Raven look at her sharply, "the mental portion is done. You will hear each other, regardless, but Raven will still die in a month if you do not complete the spell. That is how it needs to be. Also, the results will not kick in for quite a few hours, so you will not share a telepathic link, heightened awareness, and the need to be in proximity of each other until it does. I would advise you to be very careful though – if you are too far away from each other when it does…you will feel a great deal of pain. Stay cautious."

"So, we're cool now?" asked Beast Boy again, blinking several times. Knowledge nodded slightly, but walked forward and gently wrapped her hand around his forearm.

"However," she said, tugging him away with her. "I must speak to you privately. Do _not_ interfere, Raven," she demanded, glaring at the Halfling.

Raven gritted her teeth slightly and rolled her eyes. She noticed Wisdom approach her, and she sighed deeply. Turning to look over at Beast Boy and Knowledge, she saw her explain something to him, and watched as he paled dramatically. Curious, and slightly taken aback, she continued looking at him as he turned even more pale, listened, and then fell down to the ground in depression.

"Wait," Raven said, looking at Wisdom. "What's Knowledge telling him?"

Wisdom looked back at Raven with raised eyebrows. "Do I look like Knowledge to you?"

"Yes, considering you all look like _me_."

"Point taken. However, I haven't the faintest idea of what she's telling him."

Raven seethed a bit more inwardly before looking back over at Beast Boy and Knowledge again. A few more minutes passed by where the two just looked over at Beast Boy and Raven, until it seemed the discussion was finished. When the green boy began walking back towards her, Raven raised an eyebrow at his pallor, wondering just what he had heard to grow so pale. He looked at her and made a big grin.

"Dude, Rae. This is going to be so much fun! You ready?"

"Utterly ecstatic, Beast Boy," she replied sarcastically. "Now, what were you two planning over there?"

"Planning?" her teammate asked. His forest-green orbs darkened slightly as he broke eye contact with Raven, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Nothing you need to worry about at all."

Those words seemed far too sullen for an energetic, young man like Beast Boy, but to appease him, she just dropped the subject. "Fine then. Have it your way. But, unless there's anything else we need to cover, then we should be heading back. It's very difficult to keep track of just how much time passes by in my mental realm."

"One last thing," Knowledge called out as the two had turned to leave. "While high adrenaline levels will allow you to separate yourselves from one another, please do take care to remember that such actions will also cause great damage to your body. So, unless you are in battle, please don't take advantage of that loophole. Beast Boy, you are completely human, and Raven, you are half, and so neither of you are adverse to the effects. With that said, I bid you farewell."

Nodding slightly at both Knowledge and Wisdom, he turned to Raven with a small grin. "So, we heading to that exit now?"

"I would rather take the quickest route out of here," Raven murmured, sliding her hand within his. He stared at her in shock, but she merely glared while whispering,

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

The next thing Beast Boy knew, he and Raven were materializing outside of the mirror and back into Raven's room. Looking around, he grinned happily and threw his hands up in the air excitedly. Then, after turning to look at the window, his hands quickly dropped as he realized the time. Raven followed his gaze and narrowed her eyes slightly at the setting sun.

"We were in there for far too long," she muttered. "I'm pretty sure that Robin is trying to send out a signal for us, which means we don't have much time to complete the contract."

Turning to her partner, – that sounded way too wrong to her – her eyes narrowed further. She nodded slightly. "Just repeat after me, Beast Boy: Azarath Menshole Mecidaclu."

The young greenling straightened his shoulders even more than usual. "Azarath Menshole Mecidaclu."

The two waited for a few seconds after saying that and were quite surprised that there wasn't a sudden rush of power, no special effects, no whirling lights…just nothing. Beast Boy quirked one eyebrow in disbelief, and reached up to rub his nose. Raven, herself, flipped her hands back and forth, unwilling to believe that nothing had really happened. The two looked at one another, neither really sure of whether the spell had worked, before Raven quickly remembered that the spell wouldn't kick in for some time.

"We have a few hours," the Halfling said assuredly, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at Beast Boy. "That gives us some time to tell the others about our problem, and–"

A loud alarm blared suddenly, with Raven's entire room flashing red intermittently.

"…Or not," she finished lamely, narrowing her eyes. "Okay, Beast Boy, whoever this monster is, we've got to beat it within a few hours, before that contract kicks in."

"No joke, dude," he agreed exuberantly. "We're going to be in a shitload of pain if we're still separated by the time it activates. You sure we have a few hours?"

"Not at all," Raven answered, "so let's scale that down to an hour, just to be safe."

Both Titans jumped in surprise when their communicators began sounding out their theme song, or so Beast Boy had dubbed it as being. Raven looked briefly at hers before turning to Beast Boy, and allowing black energy to flow from her to encompass the both of them. The latter looked around hesitantly – no matter how much of a friend he considered Raven, he still considered her energy to be the creepiest thing he'd ever dealt with. Beast Boy felt a sudden shift and almost panicked when he saw his feet sink beneath the floor. Raven glared at him from under her hood and he stopped squirming, grudgingly. Luckily for him, she didn't seem particularly angry at that moment, but rather slightly perturbed and apprehensive.

As soon at the two dropped into the living room, they found they could see nothing amiss, but both were wary of checking their communicators. Beast Boy looked at Raven with large, pleading eyes and she rolled her own, quickly flipping open her communicator. Almost immediately, Robin's face appeared in the small receptor, and she could tell he was very, very ticked off.

"Where have you _been_!" the young leader shouted at Raven, not caring whether she was still injured or not. "We have been fighting these guys for the past _half-hour_ and haven't beat them _yet_! I don't know what is going on, but get down to the center of the city _now_!"

His image faded to black within the blink of an eye and Raven calmly looked at Beast Boy who was cowering on the other side of the room. She sighed softly, clicking her communicator shut.

"As you could probably hear," she calmly spoke out, "His Highness desires our presence. Immediately."

"Dude, you go. I am _so_ not gonna deal with his emo, egocentric, bossy butt after that!"

She tilted her head at Beast Boy's response, and nodded slightly. "'Egocentric.' Good word."

Beast Boy sighed softly, stretching his arms above his head. "All-l-l-l right. Center of the city? Yeah, I'm on it. I'll meet you there, Rae."

As soon as he was about to take off and run out the main entrance, he felt black energy surround him and tug him back towards Raven. The changeling looked down at her with disbelief. "Oh no, Raven! You want to take me? Right here? Right now? But…I'm not ready! I'm a virgin still!"

Her eyes widened perceptibly and she immediately dropped him, her face flushed a deep red.

"You-! Argh, I don't even have the words-! You just-! How dare you-!"

"Love you, too, babe," he said, wriggling his eyebrows at her, and causing her to blush further. "So, you wanna hop a ride together? I can…sit on your lap if you like…"

The next second, he felt himself being blasted across the room and five feet into a wall. He was aware of the pain etching its way around his spine and the young man let out a small gasp. Beast Boy fell down to his knees and crawled out of the hole, staring across at an empty room. Apparently, Raven had left him behind.

"Guess…the spell…hasn't kicked in…yet…" he muttered, forcing himself to his feet and towards the main entrance.

As soon as he walked out of the tower, he noticed Raven standing in front of him, eyes narrowed dangerously. Taking in his entire appearance, she walked towards him, and formed a large energy disc underneath both of them. When the disc began levitating quickly, Beast Boy wheeled his hands in large circles, surprised at the sudden speed. Glancing over at Raven, he chuckled slightly, shrugging his shoulders.

"Hey, about earlier…sorry about that. Shouldn't have said all that."

"Forget it."

"No, seriously. I'm totally sorry and–"

"Just, forget it," Raven muttered, focusing her eyes out on the horizon. "I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that, especially before battle. I apologize."

"Oh, yeah. S'cool." He glanced over at the young woman beside him as they soared over the city. Cracking his knuckles one by one, he asked tentatively, "So, you aren't tired? I mean, I can totally shape-shift and head up there faster, no problem."

"True," Raven conceded, meeting Beast Boy's gaze, "and we should still have time before the spell kicks in. I suppose it would be better to get there as fast as we can as opposed to worrying about something we're not quite sure over yet."

The young, green-colored man clenched both his fists and gave her a large grin. "Great! So let's get this train on full-blast, yo!" he shouted out, flipping back over the discus and shifting into a peregrine falcon as he fell down through the skies.

The young sorceress spared her teammate a small grin before the discus faded into nothingness and she was racing through the air right behind the green bird. Looking down, Raven checked on area damage as they got closer and closer to the center of the city, but it was mostly minimal – surely nothing a good work crew couldn't deal with in few days or so. A loud squawk from her companion sent her racing out of her thoughts and she quickly focused in on the massive destruction directly down below them. The Halfling frowned slightly, and barely nodded her head towards the green, wildly flapping bird before he fell into a dive.

"I need power," she murmured, calling the black energy around her as she sank down towards the city. Briefly, Raven wondered why she now felt little to no pain although the last time she had fought, pain had been racing through her like fire. Could it have been due to the spell she and Beast Boy had cast, although the effects weren't due to take place for hours even?

Touching down on the ground, Raven looked around herself carefully, noticing that none of her teammates were anywhere to be seen. She frowned slightly, narrowing her eyes as she continued peering around her. She glanced at Beast Boy briefly as she looked around, still wondering where all their teammates were. Beast Boy tapped her on the shoulder, saying,

"No one's here. I've looked everywhere within like half a mile of here, but nothing. I don't know where they are."

"That's funny," she muttered. "Robin's signal came from this area somewhere."

"Maybe they beat the guys before we got here."

"Probable, but not likely."

"You have a better idea? What, did they just pop off the edge of the Earth and go floating in space?"

Raven turned to glare at him, opening her mouth to make her opinion of his statement clear when without warning, the ground underneath both of them began trembling. Both she and Beast Boy looked down as the rocks and rubble on the concrete street began bouncing up and down, emitting small clacks every time each one hit the ground. The two Teen Titans took a few steps back apprehensively, half expecting an earthquake to wrench the ground out from under them.

"Hey, Raven," Beast Boy began hesitantly.

She casted a quick glance at him, frowning. "What?"

"You think…by any chance, the reason they're not out here is because they're–"

His sentence was left unfinished as the concrete street bubbled upwards and erupted, sending the two superheroes flying. Raven mentally willed her power to stop her in mid-spin, her cape flipping over to cover her head as she stared straight at the ground. She felt inertia attempt to force her into another spin, but calmed herself down with quick mental chanting. Beast Boy, on the other hand, crashed through a store window, rolling across the floor through the glass and into several clothes stands. He laid on the floor motionless, glaring up at the ceiling and cursing his horrible luck.

"Sometimes, I really hate my life," he grumbled out, rolling over and pushing himself to his feet.

As the changeling cleared the broken glass and hopped back outside through the broken window, he looked to his left with an inquisitive frown on his face and shrieked, hopping back inside the store as a foreign object zoomed straight past where he had been. Beast Boy poked his head out of the window again and saw the whole Teen Titan in action: Robin was jumping and flipping around two big, metal robots; Cyborg was cannon blasting the titanium steel, looking for a weak point; Starfire kept zipping back and forth, shouting a war cry and she slammed her fists into each robot, and Raven had taken control of two dump trucks and was slamming them the legs of the robots.

Slamming his right fist into his left hand, Beast Boy grinned, jumped out of the window and charged straight for the nearest robots. He liked robots, he decided as he shifted into a Stegosaurus and tore down the road towards the enemy. Robin and Cyborg, both seeing him come straight at them, jumped out of the way right as he passed them, his speed sending dust and dirt soaring past the both of them. Hitting the first robot with a head slam, Beast Boy wheeled around and smashed his tail straight into the nearest one, sending it straight at the other robot, morphing back into his normal self directly after. The green teenager drew in a fist as he grinned unabashedly at the destruction he'd caused.

Robin's eye mask raised slightly to show his appreciation as he let out a soft whistle. "Good job, Beast Boy," he complimented, grinning himself and taking out a Birdarang. "But don't get too comfy – the battle's not over yet!"

Beast Boy pouted slightly as Robin ran past him, and stuck out his lip even further when Cyborg gave smirked at him. "Man," he complained, helplessly holding out his hands. "Can't the guy ever just give a compliment without saying _anything_ else?"

"Where's the fun in that?" asked Cyborg with a small chuckle. "Come on, we've got work to do, BB."

The green youth continued pouting more when Cyborg ran away to join the battle again, and when he noticed Raven and Starfire take flight, he sighed. Changing into a tiger, he burst into action, running again at the rising robots.

Starfire floated high into the sky, closing her eyes shut tightly and drawing back her fists; then, as a gust of wind encircled her, she launched her hands out in front of her, palms open and sent a shower of green energy raining down on the robots. The energy dented the robots in various places, but seemed to do no more damage than anything else she'd previously tried. Muttering the words "righteous fury" over and over again aloud, she drew back her right fist, her left hand open and aiming tightly at the monster. Green energy flickered into existence around her fist, the shades of green darkening as her energy continued growing denser and denser.

"Friends! Please clear the area!" she yelled out, thrusting her fist forward hard only when she noticed each Titan back away far enough.

"Take this, fiends!" she belted out, pushing a beam of energy so powerful out of her fist that she went flying back as a result.

Each Titan watched carefully to see if Starfire's energy had done the trick. When no sounds came from within the cloud of dust and dirt, each Titan relaxed slightly, each one thinking the battle had come to an end. Just when even Robin was ready to call it a day, a large, long mechanical arm burst out of the cloud, wrapping its clutches around Starfire high in the sky.

Surprised, the Tamaranean let out a small shriek, and struggled hard against her binds, her eyes glowing a bright green in the process. Her teeth shone vividly, grinding against one another while her muscles trembled as she fought for her release. The arm shook her slightly, making her lose her concentration and then wheeled itself in quickly. Starfire screamed loudly as she whirled down towards the main body of one of the robots.

"Star!" Robin yelled, watching helplessly from the ground as he watched his girlfriend zoom straight down towards the titanium metal of the robot. Swiveling around quickly, he shouted, "Raven!"

Raven's eyes were already glowing a fearsome white as she pushed her arms straight out. "Azarath, Metrion," she began, black energy projecting from her palms and racing straight for the robotic arm, "_ZINTHOS_!"

Just as her energy was about to reach the arm, the other robot jumped into motion, sending its own robotic arm and ensnaring Raven in its grasp. Her concentration breaking abruptly, Raven's black energy faded and Starfire slammed against the metal, her body almost sinking into it before the robotic arm set her free. She let out a soft gasp as the pain riveted through her body and she plummeted down towards the ground.

"Starfire!" yelled out Robin and Raven simultaneously.

Robin leapt forward, racing to catch the alien while Raven slammed a fist down on the arm clutching her. Her eyes glowed a bright white as she struggled to push the claw open with her power. It, in turn, shook her back and forth enough to dizzy her and then slammed up and down against the ground. Her gasp was enough to elicit Cyborg's anger, and the large half-robotic, half-human man sped towards Raven, a fist slamming hard on the robotic arm. The arm lifted up, spun around a few times before rearing back and crashing into Cyborg with amazing force. Raven, completely dizzy and disoriented from the spinning, couldn't protect herself at all when the arm slammed into a building and sent her flying.

"Starfire! Cyborg! Raven!" shouted Beast Boy, horror apparent on his face. "No! Don't hurt them anymore!" he screamed out, letting out a fierce growl as he changed quickly into his most powerful form – the Beast.

The green Beast gave a powerful roar, expelling out all of his anger. Lowering onto all fours, Beast Boy ran straight at the robot, jumped into the air, and swiped a claw at it. His claws scratched off the surface, and he slammed down on the ground, baring his teeth at the mechanical enemy. The green changeling turned around for a second go at the robot but he, too, was caught by a robotic arm. Like everyone else, Beast Boy worked hard to get out of the grasp, but to no avail.

Looking far away to check the condition of the fallen Tamaranean, he was pleasantly surprised to see her stand, leaning hard on Robin's shoulder as she did. Sweat seemed to pour down her face as she endeavored to stay conscious. Robin's eyes were narrowed dangerously, but he was too wary of leaving Starfire by herself to try to help Beast Boy, and Beast Boy completely understood those sentiments.

Seeing that those two were in somewhat okay condition, he checked back over at the building for Cyborg and Raven. Cyborg had a hand placed against the building's side as he glared over at the robot. The cybernetic man met Beast Boy's eyes, nodding slightly to show he was fine. While Cyborg may have been fine, Beast Boy quickly realized, Raven on the other hand, was in less-than-stellar condition. She was breathing deeply as her eyes shot daggers at the robot, one knee down on the ground as she fought to get rid of her disorientation. Seeing how she looked, the changeling continued fighting against his binds, but roared out when the claw began squeezing him.

"Beast Boy!" Raven shouted out, forcing herself to her feet. "Hang on, I'll help you!"

She pushed forward her arms, reading to shout out her mantra, when she noticed her skin glowing a pale brown. Looking at her hands with surprise, she whispered out, "What…?"

"Raven, stop looking at your hands and help BB!" yelled Cyborg, knocking her out of her thoughts.

"Damn it," she cursed, concentrating her energy again. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Her energy flowed out of her body, heading right for the robot slicing through the robotic arm. To everyone' s relief, the arm broke apart cleanly and Beast Boy fell to the ground. He climbed out of the claw, reverting back to his normal form. Clenching a fist, Beast Boy glared up at the robot, turning to look at Raven when she came to his side.

"You all right?" she asked, hurriedly making sure of his status.

He gave her a thumbs up, a quick grin, and turned to Cyborg. "Its claw is gone, so its defense has a hole, literally. How about getting some sonic cannon up in there?"

"Way ahead of you, BB," Cyborg agreed, charging up his cannon. Raven stood beside the robotic man, putting her arm forward.

"Allow me to help," she said determinedly, her hand teeming with black energy.

"All right," Cyborg muttered, seeing his cannon fully charged. "Ready, FIRE!"

Raven's black energy swirled around Cyborg's blue beam, heading straight into the hole where the robot's claw had been. A moment of silence passed before red flamed burst out of the robot and it completely exploded.

"Yes!" shouted Beast Boy. "One down, one more to go!"

He looked over at Raven and Cyborg, a grin still upon his face. "Let's finish this, you guys."

Turning to stare in the direction of the last remaining robot, Beast Boy exhaled slightly, enjoying the feeling of his heart beat rising. Clenching his hands into fists, he looked down at them, noticing that his skin was glowing a pale brown color. Making a quick glance over at Raven again, he noticed the Halfling also glowing readily.

Uh oh, was the first thought to come to his mind. Deciding there wasn't much time before the spell was going to set in fully, he drew in his fists again and ran over towards the robot, his speed picking up into a heavy charge. The shape shifter jumped up high off the ground, quickly spiraling through the air as a raven, and making an oblique as soon as he reached the enemy. Then, as sudden as his previous oblique, he angled up towards the sky, flapping every so often to gain more and more height. As soon as he had reached his desire height, Beast Boy changed back to his normal form, giving himself an extra push in to the air before he started to fall back down.

"Raven!" he yelled out, crossing his arms in front of his face as he sped down. "Give me some speed!"

Raven had hardly heard him, but reached deep within her for power sleeping within. Concentrating deeply, black energy whipped around her from her feet up, spiraling quickly and growing in more and more density. She raised her hand up towards the descending Beast Boy, yelling out a harsh "Hah!" before black energy bolted out from her palm like a whip of lightning.

Seeing the energy zipping straight at him, Beast Boy tucked in his legs and torso, using his momentum to send him whirling into rapid somersaults. When the energy struck and encased him, Beast Boy morphed into a pachycephalosaurus, pointing his head down at the robot. The greenling noticed a claw reach out to get at him, but quick movement from an utterly exhausted Starfire kept the robotic arm from getting anywhere near him.

"Beat him, Friend Beast Boy!" she yelled out, the muscles in her arms trembling from trying to keep the arm at bay. "Defeat him!"

"Get him, Beast Boy!" shouted Robin. "Finish this!"

"Come on, BB! You've got this!" yelled Cyborg in addition.

Seconds before he made contact with the robot's exterior, Beast Boy's eyes met the glowing white ones of Raven, and he spared her one more grin. He noticed her slight nod of affirmation, and that was all it took to restore his courage, despite the oncoming pain he was sure to feel.

Beast Boy impacted the robot's exterior with his hard head with a force unrivaled by anything else, his power highly accentuated by the force of Raven's power helping him. First came a dent as he continued pressing in on the robot, until it gradually caved in more and more before heaving in completely. The green changeling sank deep into the circuitry, and then all was silent.

All of the remaining Titans gathered together, staring up at the robot, waiting for something – anything – to happen. Nothing but dead silence occurred for several moments, and even Raven swallowed tightly, unsure of what was going on in the robotic enemy. Then, without warning, the robot shifted slightly, and all four Titans readied their battle stances, thinking Beast Boy to have failed in taking down their enemy.

When the robot simply crashed to the ground, no longer moving even an inch, and a green boy came tumbling out of the robot's interior, none of the Titans knew what to think. First the robot had moved, but then it fell, and then Beast Boy came out…was everything over and done with, or was there more ahead? When Beast Boy stood up once again, he turned to the group, his face smeared with black, and gave them all a big thumbs up. Each Titan felt their heart rates slow down as the excitement and exhaustion took hold.

Beast Boy held his hand up towards the dark sky, looking at them with furrowed eyebrows. "The glowing is gone…" he said in an awed tone.

Raven looked at her own hands, realizing he was right. She had her suspicions, but if that was the case…

Coming to a quick realization, she quickly looked over at Beast Boy, eyes wide. "Beast Boy, get over here!"

He looked back at her, blinking. "What?"

"Get over here now before we–!"

Without warning, Raven felt a searing pain race through her body, sending her falling to her knees and crashing down onto the broken pavement. Beast Boy cried out in agony when the pain hit him, and he slammed down onto the ground, clutching at his head. The muscles in his arms tensed violently as the pain continued to build from within him, and he shifted his head around to look in Raven's direction, noticing her in the same state as him. Then, as more seconds passed by, he felt the pain began to worsen, and he and Raven cried out, unable to do much else.

Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire stared at their friends, unable to understand what was happening to each of them. Robin clenched a fist and turned to Cyborg.

"Get Beast Boy! Those robots must've had something to do with this! We're getting them to the tower before their situation gets worse! Go now!"

Cyborg gave a quick nod, and raced over towards a now screaming Beast Boy. Robin instructed Starfire to head back to the tower ahead of them, and moved to grab the now trembling Raven, whose eyes were tightly shut from the pain she was going through. However, as soon as Robin caught up with Cyborg, their screaming abruptly halted. Robin and Cyborg looked at one another, confused. Starfire, noticing the silence, peered down at her teammates, blinking tiredly and confusedly as she watched Beast Boy jump off of Cyborg and Raven remove herself from Robin. Completely bewildered, she touched down on the ground beside Robin to stare alongside him and Cyborg at the no-longer-in-pain-but-seemingly-in-pain-five-seconds-before duo.

"Holy crap," yelled Beast Boy, staring at his hands. "Was _that_ what the hell that girl had meant? When she said pain, I thought it'd be like, you know, 'ow, I just fell down the stairs' kinda pain, not, 'FUCK, SOMEONE IS TAKING OUT ALL MY ORGANS WITH A PLASTIC SPOON!' kinda pain."

"Didn't I say to come towards me?" Raven spat out, glaring dangerously at Beast Boy. "Didn't I say, 'get over here now'? If you had just listened, then we–"

"Oh whoa! Don't even _try_ to pin this on me! How the heck was I supposed to know the spell had somehow started up?" shouted Beast Boy.

"Knowledge said we'd start glowing! Didn't you listen to a single thing she said?" yelled the Halfling. "If you had paid more attention, then we wouldn't have had to go through all of that!"

"What, so now it's _my_ fault?"

"Of course it is! Who else's could it possibly be?"

"Look, even if roles had been reversed, and _I'd_ been the one to tell _you_, we probably still would've gone through that because I bet there's _no_ way you would've listened to me!"

Raven swallowed her next words at his retort, gritting her teeth and jerking her line of sight to looking over a building. Beast Boy clicked his tongue angrily before crossing his arms over his chest and turning his back on Raven.

Robin frowned, the top of his eye mask furrowing down as he narrowed his eyes. "What's going on? Who's Knowledge? What do you mean by glowing? And what the hell just happened with you two? I want answers, now."

"It's her fault," Beast Boy muttered. "Ask her."

"My fault!" Raven questioned, spinning around angrily. "You're the one who signed us up for this! I didn't even want a part of this, remember?"

"If you knew the spell had activated," Beast Boy said with angry undertones, "then why didn't you just come towards me, instead of trying to make me go over towards you?"

That was the second time in less than five minutes that Beast Boy had succeeded in undermining her argument, and it was enough to royally infuriate her. "Well fine!" she shouted. "So I'm not perfect! What else is new?"

"Now who needs to grow up?" Beast Boy asked as one final counter.

Before Raven could say anything more, Robin stepped in between the two of them, slapping a hand on both their shoulders. "Enough!" he barked. "What is this spell you're talking about? I want answers…and I don't mean tomorrow or next week… I want them _NOW_.

"But first," he continued, glaring at Beast Boy who met his gaze defiantly, "we're heading back to the tower. I don't want it made public that the Titans are fighting about whatever ridiculous thing the press makes up. Everyone back to the tower, NOW."

Beast Boy and Raven gave each other one last cursory glance, and she gritted her teeth. "Let me explain everything. Don't say a single word."

He simply turned around and was about to head back before he returned to her side. Raven glared at him again, asking, "What?"

"I don't know about you," he muttered, "but one bout of pain was more than enough for me."

She looked at him, gaze unwavering, before sighing and opening a black disc of energy beneath them. Beast Boy looked down the energy and promptly sat down. Raven watched him kick his legs over the side of the disc as they flew through the air and sighed once more.

"You were right," she said grudgingly. "I should have realized there would have been no way for you to realize what I was referring to. I should have done as you had said, and gone to you instead."

Beast Boy grimaced slightly, remembering his words. "I shouldn't have been stupid enough to put all the blame on you. You were right, too…I was the one who started this whole mess. What the hell have I gotten us both into?"

A small moment of silence grew between the two, before Raven cleared her throat slightly.

"Regretting your decision, Beast Boy?"

"As if," came his reply. "Saving you like this was the only thing anyone could do. I don't regret it. I just wish it didn't cause so many other problems."

"Well, get ready," Raven murmured, seeing the Titan Tower in sight. "It's all about to get much, much worse."

* * *

Completed: 8/17/2011 3:57:54 PM


End file.
